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Twitter story shows up lingering distrust between Germany and Greece

Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 01:00

SIOBHAN DOWLING

ACCORDING TO a story doing the rounds on Twitter, a group of German tourists refused to pay their bar bill in a club in Crete.

Asked why not, they reportedly told the barman that it was the Greeks who owed them money.

It might be an apocryphal tale but the fact that people picked up on it says a lot about the deep distrust between Germany and Greece as the euro crisis drags on.

A recent poll showed that 49 per cent of Germans would prefer Greece to leave the euro zone. After the elections on Sunday, the tabloid Bild was quick to get a dig in again.

“Greece has not openly said no to the euro – but it has chickened out of saying a clear yes. One thing is clear: the tortuous struggle will go on.”

Foreign minister Guido Westerwelle pointed out that Germany had “shown solidarity with the Greeks”, contributing some €40 billion to the bailouts.

“They could also say thank you,” he told public broadcaster ARD.

Before the vote, Bild warned the Greeks against voting for the far-left Syriza.

“If you did not want our billions, it would have been fine for you to vote for any leftist or rightist clown you wanted,” it wrote in a Greek language editorial. “But your ATMs continue to give you euros only because we put them there.” – (Guardian service)